Holiday concert features chart-topping artists

Ruben Studdard

Submitted photo

Published: Thursday, December 19, 2013 at 09:42 AM.

Four powerful voices will share the stage in Charlotte next weekend. “The Colors of Christmas” tour has united Peabo Bryson, CeCe Winans, Melissa Manchester and Ruben Studdard for some holiday music magic.

“[The audience] can expect to have a wonderful holiday experience with great voices, and I think it will be a great start to everybody’s Christmas season,” Studdard said.

Bryson is known for songs like “A Whole New World,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Tonight I Celebrate My Love;” Winans for “Lost Without You,” “Addictive Love” and “I’ll Take You There;” Manchester for “Don’t Cry Out Loud,” “Through the Eyes of Love” and “You Should Hear How She Talks About You;” and Studdard for “Flying Without Wings,” “Sorry 2004” and “Change Me.”

Studdard said he’s the newby on the “Colors of Christmas” tour, and the other three stars have been doing the show for years. They will perform their hits as well as favorite popular and traditional holiday songs.

“We’re doing a lot of different songs, but they’re all arranged so we can all shine, and I think it’s going to be a great show,” he said. “We’ll be performing separately and together on a lot of the numbers. It’s going to be a good show; it’s a lot of back and forth.”

Life after American Idol: Studdard, a.k.a. The Velvet Teddy Bear, rose to fame after being named the second “American Idol” winner in 2003. Since then, he has recorded five studio albums, been nominated for a Grammy, and starred in stage shows and several TV programs.

“It’s been great. I have been able to do exactly what I wanted to do with my life and that’s be a professional performer, and America Idol was the catalyst,” he said.

Four powerful voices will share the stage in Charlotte next weekend. “The Colors of Christmas” tour has united Peabo Bryson, CeCe Winans, Melissa Manchester and Ruben Studdard for some holiday music magic.

“[The audience] can expect to have a wonderful holiday experience with great voices, and I think it will be a great start to everybody’s Christmas season,” Studdard said.

Bryson is known for songs like “A Whole New World,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Tonight I Celebrate My Love;” Winans for “Lost Without You,” “Addictive Love” and “I’ll Take You There;” Manchester for “Don’t Cry Out Loud,” “Through the Eyes of Love” and “You Should Hear How She Talks About You;” and Studdard for “Flying Without Wings,” “Sorry 2004” and “Change Me.”

Studdard said he’s the newby on the “Colors of Christmas” tour, and the other three stars have been doing the show for years. They will perform their hits as well as favorite popular and traditional holiday songs.

“We’re doing a lot of different songs, but they’re all arranged so we can all shine, and I think it’s going to be a great show,” he said. “We’ll be performing separately and together on a lot of the numbers. It’s going to be a good show; it’s a lot of back and forth.”

Life after American Idol: Studdard, a.k.a. The Velvet Teddy Bear, rose to fame after being named the second “American Idol” winner in 2003. Since then, he has recorded five studio albums, been nominated for a Grammy, and starred in stage shows and several TV programs.

“It’s been great. I have been able to do exactly what I wanted to do with my life and that’s be a professional performer, and America Idol was the catalyst,” he said.

Studdard said he’s learned, seen and been through a lot, made life-lasting friends, and become a better person through his career journey.

His sixth album, “Unconditional Love,” is due out Feb. 4. He teamed up with David Foster, a Grammy award-winning producer and chairman of Verve Records, for the album, which features songs from The Carpenters, Paul McCartney, Marvin Gay and The Beatles.

“We are making a Luther Vandross-esque album. It’s all classic loves songs done by the greatest producers of all times,” Studdard said.

For another of Studdard’s recent gigs, he traded his microphone for tennis shoes as a contestant on the latest season of “Biggest Loser.” He was eliminated earlier this month, but has continued to lose on his own and dropped more than 100 pounds to date.

“It was a really great experience,” Studdard said. “I got the opportunity to go on the show and make some really great life changes and lose a lot of weight. I’m still in the process of [slimming] down. I’m looking forward to all the things that come with a healthier lifestyle. It’s my goal to keep on going.”